Bottle filling machine



Feb. 2, 1932.

J. E HENES BOTTLE FILLING MACHINE Filed Oct. 29, 1928 3 Sneets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEI].

Feb. 2, 1932. J E. HENES 1,343,363

BOTTLE FILLING MACHINE Filed Oct; 29, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEI].

lNUENTOR. Me: ,am 51] I M MMMM I k 1 i mg? v w M .3 mw

" of gas from the liquid;

during the operation of bottling and the Patented Feb. 2, 1932 JOHN. HENES, or MENQMIN E, Mionrean; ASSIGNOR To JOHN E. nnnns, 'rnns'rnns, norms BUSINESS M'ENOMINEE, MICHIGAN Application filed October 29, 1928.

This invention relates to a bottling apparatus of the counterpressure type forbottling carbonatedor effervescing beverages or liquids in such manner'as to avoid foaming, loss and. loss ofthe liquid present invention relates more particularly to a machine of this character of simplified and light weight construction designed primarily for use in small bottling establishments. 1

One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide a machine of this character which is of simple and light-weight thoughdurable construction so as to be conveniently portable and which embodies means for facilitating the proper setting iup and assembly of the parts of the machine and the adjustment or adaptation of these parts to satisfy. the requirements of the vary- 7 means adapted to he quickly ing conditions met in the small establishments in'which a machine of thischaracter is used. Due to: its simplified construction a machine embodying the present invention may be manufactured and sold at a comparatively small cost.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a counterpressure bottle fill.- ing machine of this type whichembodies and easily associated with the source of, carbonated liquid and withthe source of gas pressure, and operablezto supply, these fluids to the filling headas and when the same are required for filling a bottle. i a

A machine embodying the present invention as to some of its features is of'the type of Patents-582,285, granted: May 11; 1897, to Henes and Keller for apparatus for bottling liquids; 655,443, granted August-7, 1900,;to F; C. Kellerfor bottle filling machine; and 1,166,520, granted Henes for bottle filling machine, but along with certain entirely new features involves a radical re organizationand reconstruction of the devices shown in these patents in order to provide a portable v light-weight machine adapted for advantageous use in small-es tablishments. a i i Incarrying out the present invention a cally' opened and January 4, 1916,7130 J. E.-

bonated' liquid. to

AS HENES & KELLER BOTTLE FILLQENG IVJTAGI-II'LTE Serial No. 315,606.

ALFRED A. Hawaiian; COMPANY, or 77 supporting means is provided and comprises, 1'

a base. adapted to be fastened to the/floor or. other suitable foundation and having a standard or'post extending upwardly therefor the liquidto.

from. A filling reservoir be bottled is carried by a bracket adjustably mounted on the standard The filling reservoir has liquid supplying,vgassupplying and gas ventingconnections, and valves controlling said. gas connections and automatiof. means responsive to maintain a proper level of liquid therein.

A number of filling-heads,

standard for vertical adjustment and adapted to be releasably secured in any adjusted position; Each liquid of a tube adapted to pro} siphon and having-apacking ring .orother packing means adapted to engage the neck tie and the gas supply cap.,

each is provided with jaw arrangement designed engage the shoulder provided by the neck of the bottle andv to force the bottle into proper engagement with them-packing; ring when the bottle is put in place in thei'fillingr head and both are rocked to bottle fillingpos1t1on. The liquid spaceof the filling; reservoir and the gasspace thereofhave valvecon trolled connections with the fillingsiphon and gas supply cap respectively, and these valves are automatically operated by the rocking of the filling heads so that when a; bottle is operatively engaged with afillinghead and the filling headis moved to bottle filling position, the valves will be automatically opened first to. permitpressure to buildup in the bottle to a point equalqto the pressure of the carbonated lijquidiand then; when the pressures are equalizedto permit the carfilling reservoir into the bottle Flexible pipes connect filling heads; In orderto' maintain the'fillclosed under the controlusually two, are also carried. by. a bracket mounted on thefl b gravity from the the filling reservoir with the 'l dispensing un1t in'-.'

cludes a filling siphon preferably in the form ect down into, a bottle, and a gas supply, cap surroundingthe IOU valve. The valve "also has a stem 34 which.

projects down into the filling reservoir. To

one side of the gas supply connection'a relief port or vent passage 35 is provided and one I part of the ventpassage is formed to provide; "a valve seat 36 with which a valve 37-is'co operable. The valve 37 also has a guide 38 audthe weight ofthe guide and of the valve as well as the pressure in the filling reservoir F tends to seat the valve 37', I 4' Means is-provided for, permitting of the convenient manual controlas well as automatic control of these valves, although, for the most part, the position bf the valves is an't'omatically controlled by means respon she to the level 'in the fillingreservoir. In carrying out these purposes a valve operating lever 40 is provided and is fulcrumed as at 41 onthe head '6. The valve stem 34 lies in the vertical'plane in which the valve lever 40 swingsso that when the'valve lever 40 swings upwardly to a predetermined extent it engagesthe'stem34 and lifts the valve 32 off of its seat. :On the opposite side of the pivot or fulcrum 4-1 from the main portion of a lever a shoulder 43 is provided and is engageable with a flange 38 formed in between the valve 37 and its guide 38. WVhen,

the main portion of the lever'40 swings upwardly, the shoulder '43 swings downwardly and permits the valve 37 e to close. Upon continned upward swinging of the upward portion of the lever-.40, the lever {40eventually engages the stem '32 of the'pr'essure supply valve and lifts this valve from its seat to per m'it pressure to flow 'intojthe filling reservoir.

For efi'ectingthis operation automatically a bell '45 is disposed in the-cylinder 5 and is carried at the lower end of a rod 46 the upper end of which is pivoted; as at 47 to' the lever 40." T'hebell'45 is-raised and lowered in accordanee with level changes in thefliquid in the cylinder 5 and its raising and lowering effects proper control ofthe'valves 32- and-37 as will be hereinafter more fully described; In starting the operation it is necessary to I 7 manipulate the valves 32 and37 manually or independently of the bell and for'this purpose "a 'manua'lly Controllable operating rod 50 is provided and is slidably extended through a str'ifling box -51 provided in the head 8." The upper-end Of the rod150 is formed with a finger piece 52 tofac'ilitate.

manipulation thereof and the lower end of therodis flanged'as at 53 to engage under the lever 40. ."When the finger piece'52 is gripped and the rod 5 0 pr'rlled upwardly the flange 53 at the lowerendof the rod lifts the outerextremity of the lever 4Q and soswings thelever 1 a valve seat "31 with which a valve 40 as to causeit to permit the valve .37 to close and open the valve32. In the machine'shown, two-filling heads are employed and for the purpose of adjustably supporting both of these heads D and D on the standard 2, a single bracket is'provided (see Figure 4) and has a centrally disposedsocket member 161 which telescopes Overthe standard Qand which is releasably secured. thereto in'any vertical adjustment 1 bymeans .of' a" setscrew 62. Integral with the bracketand extending from the opposite side's thereof are supporting wings 63 and 64.

ed on the wings63 and 64,.respectively, are of-identical construction and so a single description will serve forboth.

The filling heads I) and D", which are mount- ."As shown in Figure4 the wing 63 is of angular formationto 'provide'the clearance necessary for its filling head. The wing 64 is 'shorte'rthan thewing 63 and is straightas hand side ofth e same. I Each filling head comprisesa hollow body portion or'bearing having an integral rearwardly directed stud 71 passing through an opening provided inits wing of the bracket and secu'red in position on the bracket by means of ainut 72 threaded on the stud 71' and pulling the bodytoward the associated its filling head -is located beyond the right wing of the bracket. The hearing or body portion 70 alsoliasja rearwardly directed lug 73"whichinterfits with a groove 74 provided I in theassociated wing of the bracket. In this way'the bearing 70 is rigidlyheld in position on its bracket. 'A trunnion T5 isrotatably fitted inIthebearing 7 0 and this trunnion 75 flue carries the liquid or filling siphon 76 and the gas supply cap or nozzle 7 7 The supporting" of the trunnion is completed by "means of a cap member 78 which fits over the opposite.

end of the trunnion and which is supported from the'bearing' 70 by means of a rod 79 passing through the alined 'apertured lugs formed on the body and on the cap and held 1 in position by suitable fastening means sncli a's'ja nut8O and pin 81. 'At the points where the trunnion enters the bearing 7 0 andienters the cap 78 packing 82'is provided to seal the joint between these parts,

" As clearly shown in the drawings, the filliing siphon/76 is preferably inthe form of a tub-e having one endt-hreaded as at 7 6; into thebo'dy of thetrunnion located: between the bearing 70 and the cap 78 and the inner end of this tube communicates with an axial passage 85 provided in-the trunnion 75 and extending from apoint adjacent to but spaced from one end of the trunnion out through the other end of the trunnion.

The end of the Ci lu trunnion through which the axial passage 85 extends reduced and is not only hollow but has a slot 86 extending throughone portion of its periphery The slotted portion 86 the trunnion is -located'i'n proximity to and is in communication with a valve chamber 87 formed integral with the bearing and having a valve seat 88 with which a liquid supply valve 89 is cooperable. The valve 89 has a stem 90 formed with a head 91 at its upper end and the head 91 is under the control of an operating member 92 positioned in the axial passage 85 and projecting. through the slot 86 of the trunnion. The operating element 92 is yieldably held in position to engage the head 91 of the valve 89 by means of aspring engaging the wall of the passage 85 and having one end 93 engaging onewall of the slot 86 and having its other end 93 secured to the operating element 92. The body of the valve 89 operates in a fitting 95 secured to one end of a flexible pipe 96 and coupled as at 97 to the valve chamber 87. The end ofthe pipe 96 opposite the fitting 95 is connected to a nipple provided therefor on the lower head 7 of the filling reservoir and has free and open communication with the liquid space oi the filling reservoir whereby when the valve 89 is open liquid may fiow from the filling reservoir to the filling siphon76 and thenceinto the bottle.

The cap 7 8 of each filling unit has an integral valve chamber 100 communicating through the port of a suitable pressure reduction de ice 101 with one end of a flexible pipe 102 coupled as at 108 to the valve chamber and con'nnunicating through a suitable fitting 108 which is threaded into me head 6 of the filling reservoir and has open communication *ith the gas space of this reservoir. The valve chamber 100 is formed with an internal valve seat 109 with which a pressure supply valve 110 coacts. The valve 110 has a valve stem 111 which extends down through an opening 112 formed in the cap 78 and cor-tumunirating.with the main chamber or opening 78 of the cap. he end of the trunnion which operates in the cap 78 is cut away and formed with a flat surface 75 just below the valve stem 111. These parts are so proportioned that when the fillinghead is rocked to bottle filling position the flat surface 75? will engage the stem 111 and lift the valve 110 from its seat thereby permitting the gas to flow past the valve 110, through the passage 112 into the chamber 78 of the cap and thence through passages 113 and 11 1 formed in the trunnion and cap 77 into the interior of the cap and around the outside of the filling siphon 76. The cap 77 is pro vided with a packing ringer gasket 115 engageable with the neck of the bottle to seal the bottle to the cap (see Figure 6).

Each filling head carries a bottle holding and clamping arrangement designed to automatically engage the shoulder provided by the neck of the bottle and force the bottle into proper sealing engagement with the packing ring 115 when the filling head is rocked to bottle filling position; This holding or clamping arrangement is preferably of substantially the same construction as that shown in prior Patent Number 582,285, granted May 11, 1897, to Henes and Keller for apparatusfor bottling liquids, and, as illustrated, includes a rest or shoe 116 pro vided at the lower end of the sectional supporting arm 117, the sections of the supporting arm 117 being adapted to be adjusted with respect to each other and to be clamped in adjusted position to vary the position and inclination of the shoe 116. The arm 117 has its upper section integrally formed with or rigidly connected to the trunnion 70 of its filling head. A pair of gripping jaws 118 is :arried by the upper section of the arm 117 and the aws are supported for rocking movement about vertical andhorizontal axes. A closing or camming member 120 is provided and has inclined arms 121 embracing and coacting with the aws 118. This closing member 120 is supported by an extensible link 122 on rocker 123 having one endpivotally connected to the upper end'of the link 122 and having its other end pivotally connected as at 12 1 to a lug 125 integral with the trunnion 753. T he central portion of the rocker 123 is pivotally connected as at 126. to an arm 127 having a bearing sleeve'128 integral at one end and loosely fitted on the pin 79. 7 With this arrangement, when a filling head is swung inwardly to bottle filling position the inner end of the rocker 123 swings upwardly thereby pulling link 122 and the closing member 121 upwardly and camming the gripping jaws 118 in. engagement with the shoulder beneath the neck of the bottle and-forcing the bottle p into sealing contact with the packing ring 15. On reverse movement of the filling head, that is, when it is swungoutwardly, the closing member121 is moved downwardly and the jaws 11.8 drop down onto a spreader such as shownas hl in Patent 582,285 above referred to which opens to release the bottle. Since the liquid is transferred from the filling reservoir, through the filling head and into the bottle by a siphoning action the relative vertical positions of the filling reservoir and filling heads are critical. I And once the proper relation has been established between these parts it is usually un necessary to disturb it and it is undesirable that it should be disturbed. To permit of simultaneous vertical adjustment of the filling head and filling reservoir while maintaining their proper relative positions, a tie bar is provided and is releasably secured at its opposite ends to the brackets 15 and 60 as by means of set screws 136 and 137. The bar 135 may be made up of adjustably connected sections or they may have a plurality of openings for the set screws 137 to permit of variation of the verticalspacing of the bracketswhich they connect. Usually, however, the brackets are tied together in proper to. disturb this relation. By loosening the set screws 17 and 62 the filling reservoir and the filling heads may be freely j adjusted along the standard 2 Without disturbingthe relative position of these elements:

In starting a bottle filling operation the filling heads-D and D are swung forwardly to closed position. The cock t on the tapping rod T and the cock 26 on the gas regulator is closed. By means of the usual hand screw 26 on the gas regulator 26 the amount of pres sure fed to the line 25 and consequently to the gauge G is adjusted until the gauge possesses the proper amount of pressure which is usually somewheres between five and twenty pounds. The gas cock 26 is now opened which places the pressure on the liquid in the keg B. The operating rod is then pulled upwardly as far as it will go to open the valve 32' and close the valve 37 thereby admitting the pressure to the cylinder 5 of the filling reservoir and establishing the same pressure therein as that previously placed on the liquid Y in the barrel'B. The cock t is next opened but due to the equalization of-the pressures on the liquid and in'the filling reservoir no flow of liquid from the barrel B. to the reservoir will occur until the rod 50 is lowered v filling reservoir, liquid supply, gas supply to close the valve32 thereby shutting off the pressure and to openthe valve 37 controlling the escape of the pressure from the cylinder 5 to the atmosphere. At this time the opera tor places his finger over the ventingpassage and filling heads are pushed inwardly until the filling heads are in filling position. This opens the valves 89 and 11O, in the filling headsto establish the same proper pressure in the bottles as that acting on the liquid and to open the passages permitting 'fiow of the liquid from the reservoir .intothe bottles. H

Siphon flow is now establishedby'slightly pulling just a little pressure to escape from between the mouth of the bottle and its sealing or packing rubber ring115. l/Vhen the bottles are filled the operator pulls upwardly and outwardly'on the shoes 116 with a steady motion which closes both valves 89 and 110. Filled bottles are immediately replaced by' empty ones and thefilling operation repeated.

has been established.

further fiow of the liq-I down on eachbottle and allowing;

As the level of theliquid in the filling reservoir lowers the bell 45 moves downwardly to open the valve 37 and close the valve 32 thereby reducing the pressure above the liquid in the filling reservoir. and permitting the pressure acting onthe liquid in the barrel B ,to force the liquid into the filling reservoir filling reservoir until the proper level in the [The invention claimedisz, j

l. A bottle filling vmachine including a standard, a fillingreservoir, a filling head, and separate brackets .carrylng said filling reservoir and filhng head and adJustably mounted on thestandard 2. A bottle filling machine comprising a "filling reservoir, liquid supply, gas supply and gas ventingconnections therefor, valves controlling saidv gas} connections, means cooperable -.with said valves for. maintaining a predetermined level of liquid in said reservoir, a filling head including afilling siphon and a gas supply cap. having valve controlled connections with the liquid and gasspaces,

respectively, of the reservoir,a common supporting means, and. individual adjustable mountings between the reservoir and filling head andthe common supporting means.

3. A bottle filling machine comprising a and gaslventing connections therefor, valves reservoir and controlling said valves for to restrict the escape of pressure. The pres- Qmaintainin'g the proper levelof liquid theresure must be made to escape very slowly so in, an adjust-ably supported bracketcarrying said filling reservoir, a fillinghead having a filling siphon, a gas supply cap or nozzle,

and means for clamping and sealing a bottle,

valve controlled connections between'said filling reservoir and said filling head, an adjustably supported bracket carrying said filling head, and'means constraining said brackets against relative movement with respect to eachv other While permitting simultaneous adjustment thereof. j

- 4. ;A'bottle filling machine comprising a fillingrese'rvoir, a bracket carrying said reservoir and'supp orted for vertical adjustment,

a filling head, a bracket carryingsaid fillinghead and supported for vertical adjustment,

and means for holding sa-id brackets against ,m'ovement relative tov each other While permitting s multaneous adjustment thereof.

I A bottle filling machine comprising a filling reservoir, a bracket carrylng said reservoir and supported forvertical adjustment, a filling head, a bracket carrying said filling head and supported for vertical'adjustment, and means for holding said :brackets against, movement relative to each other While permitting simultaneous adjustment thereof and-comprising a tie bar releasablysecured to said brackets.

-6. .A bottlefilling machinecomprisingsupporting means including a standard, a filling reservoir having liquid supply, gas supply, and venting connections, valves control- 1111 said connections means res onsive to Z i level conditions in said reservoir for mamtainm a proper level of liquld therein, a

bracket carrying said filling reservoir, means for adjustably securing the bracket to the standard, a second bracket adjustably secured to the standard and having a pair of wings, means for adjustably securing said second bracket to the standard, an oscillatory filling head carried by each wing of the second bracket, and including a. filling siphon and a gas cap or nozzle having connections with the liquid space and gas space, respectively" of said filling reservoir, and valves for said connections controlled by the oscillation of said head, and a tie bar for constraining the brackets to simultaneous adjustment.

7 A bottle filling machine comprising sup porting means including a standard, a filling reservoir having liquid supply, gas supply, and gas venting connections, valves controlling said connections, means responsive to level conditions in said reservoir for maintaining a proper level of liqnidtherein, a bracket carrying said filling reservoir, means for adjustably securing; the bracket to the standard, a second bracket adj ustably secured to the standard and having a pair of wings, means for adjustably securing said second bracket to the standard, an oscillatory filling head carried by each Wing of the second bracket and including a filling siphon and a gas can or nozzle having connections with the liquid space and gas space, respectively, of said filling reservoir, and valves for said connections controlled by the oscillation of said head.

8. In a bottle filling machine, a filling reservoir having liquid supply, gas supply and gas venting connections, valves biased to closed position for controlling said gas connections, a lever associated with said valves and operable to permit one to close when opening the other, means responsive to level conditions; in said filling reservoir and connected to said lever for controlling said valves so as to'maintain a proper level of liquid in said reservoir, and a manually operable rod adapted to be actuated from the exterior of said reservoir and cooperable with the lever for controlling the same and both of the valves independently of the level responsive means.

9. In a bottle filling machine a filling reservoir having liquid supply, gas supply and gas vent ng connectlons, valves controlling said gas connections, float controlled operating mechanism connected to said valves and responsive to level conditions in the filling reservoir whereby to control said valves to maintain a proper level of liquid in said reservoir, and a manually controllable operating member adapted to be actuated from the 

